1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to surveying instruments, and more particularly is a surveyor""s rod with means to automatically determine the height of a laser level line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Surveying equipment has in the recent past made wide utilization of laser technology. In place of simple visual sighting, surveyors and construction workers now make use of level lines generated by laser. This method is more accurate than visual sighting, and is generally quite convenient and effective. The standard procedure involves having a first operator who activates the laser level, and a second operator who determines the level of the laser beam plane.
However, in order to protect the vision of the operators, the laser beam generated is of relatively low power. Therefore the beam becomes very difficult to see when used outside in daylight conditions. Accordingly, the second operator must use a laser detector to determine the level of the laser beam. The operator simply moves the detector up and down until the detector detects the level of the beam. Since the beam is invisible to the operator, a good deal of chance is involved in the detection of the beam. This significantly increases the time required to find the laser plane, and reduces the effectiveness of the laser-aided sighting method.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a surveyor""s rod with an automatic means of laser beam detection.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a laser beam detection method that can be used in any ambient light situation.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a detector that provides both audible and visual signals of the level of the laser beam.
The present invention is an automatic laser detecting surveyor""s rod. The device includes a normal surveyor""s rod with an automatic laser beam search unit included. When the device is activated, the search unit moves up and down the surveyor""s rod until the unit detects the level of the laser beam. When the beam is detected, an alarm sounds and a digital display shows the height of the beam at the detection point.
The device can be made to include a limit means for the number of passes the search unit makes without detecting the beam. If the number of passes is exceeded, the device is deactivated to save power. The user may also choose to slow the travel speed of the search unit by moving it manually.
An advantage of the present invention is that it makes it much easier to locate a laser level beam in bright light conditions.
Another advantage of the present invention is that only one operator is required to operate the device.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a fast and economical means of sighting a level line.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention as described herein and as illustrated in the drawings.